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Hi all,
I'm in the process of building a DIY 3-zone cymbal and came up with a way to make membrane switches that work in much the same way that purchased ones do. I had bought some but they were the wrong diameter -I'm making a 14" cymbal and they're for a 10"- and then there was the issue of the bell, as the switches I bought were just for the outer edge. After quite a lot of fiddling around I decided that the ones I'd bought weren't going to be suitable no matter how I modded them, and having seen what they're like inside, I decided to try my hand at making some, and it turns out it's quite simple and you can make them whatever shape and size you want. Ok, so here goes:
First, a pic of what a commercial one looks like inside:
membrane switch open.jpg
So, the materials needed are:
- An old mylar drum skin
- Double-sided tape (the thin stuff, no foam)
- Aluminium foil
- The netting they often sell oranges or lemons in; more on that later.
First, cut out the shapes you want from the mylar head:
mylar strips.jpg
Then, cover one side of each with double-sided tape and stick on the aluminium foil, making sure there are as few wrinkles as possible, though if they're not too big it's not a problem. Leave some excess foil to attach your wires later.
with_foil.jpg
Next, apply a thin strip of double-sided tape around the outer perimeter of both parts:
with_double_tape.jpg
Now, take the netting (mine came from a bag of oranges) and place it on top of one of the parts, stretching it out a bit. This net is made with very thin, flat strands of plastic. Press it against the double-sided tape to keep it in place:
with_net.jpg
Continues in next post...
I'm in the process of building a DIY 3-zone cymbal and came up with a way to make membrane switches that work in much the same way that purchased ones do. I had bought some but they were the wrong diameter -I'm making a 14" cymbal and they're for a 10"- and then there was the issue of the bell, as the switches I bought were just for the outer edge. After quite a lot of fiddling around I decided that the ones I'd bought weren't going to be suitable no matter how I modded them, and having seen what they're like inside, I decided to try my hand at making some, and it turns out it's quite simple and you can make them whatever shape and size you want. Ok, so here goes:
First, a pic of what a commercial one looks like inside:
membrane switch open.jpg
So, the materials needed are:
- An old mylar drum skin
- Double-sided tape (the thin stuff, no foam)
- Aluminium foil
- The netting they often sell oranges or lemons in; more on that later.
First, cut out the shapes you want from the mylar head:
mylar strips.jpg
Then, cover one side of each with double-sided tape and stick on the aluminium foil, making sure there are as few wrinkles as possible, though if they're not too big it's not a problem. Leave some excess foil to attach your wires later.
with_foil.jpg
Next, apply a thin strip of double-sided tape around the outer perimeter of both parts:
with_double_tape.jpg
Now, take the netting (mine came from a bag of oranges) and place it on top of one of the parts, stretching it out a bit. This net is made with very thin, flat strands of plastic. Press it against the double-sided tape to keep it in place:
with_net.jpg
Continues in next post...
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